Detection of dsRNA in Soil-Derived Ascomycetes and Characterization of Cladosporium cladosporioides Partitivirus 1 Isolate IPBL11.

Mycoviruses can induce phenotypic and physiological changes in their fungal hosts, making them valuable biological resources. To harness this potential, it is crucial to gather comprehensive information on their distribution patterns, genomic and structural characteristics, and interactions with host fungi. In this study, we screened 64 ascomycete isolates collected from various soil environments in Korea to detect the presence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) elements. We identified dsRNA bands in three of these isolates. Among them, we determined the complete genome sequence of a bipartite dsRNA virus found in Cladosporium anthropophilum. Phylogenetic analyses based on the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) and capsid protein (CP) sequences indicated that this virus belongs to the genus Gammapartitivirus within the family Partitiviridae. Comparative sequence analyses suggested that this virus is best classified as a new isolate of Cladosporium cladosporioides partitivirus 1, which we designated as Cladosporium cladosporioides partitivirus 1 isolate IPBL11 (CcPV1-IPBL11).